(Written
by Sheila Gail Landgraf)
Last
lesson we pondered how so many things that happened to Sarah and Abraham also
happened at the birth of our Messiah, Jesus Christ. While we are here in the Christmas season, I
would like to dwell on that subject a bit longer. It is one of those beautiful epiphanies that
you do not let go of easily. Isn’t it
great to have an epiphany happen to you BEFORE epiphany?
Today I
am thinking of the similarities between Sarah and Mary. I am remembering that even when Sarah was
very young she had a divine ability to see things that other people did not
see. This must have also been the case with
Mary. She possessed the excellent wisdom of a
biblical scholar at the tender age of 15, when more than likely, she was never formally schooled. This wisdom must have come to
her in many divine ways, much like the wisdom that Sarah received as she
praised God while she baked her bread.
Mary
was fifteen when she heard the glorious announcement by Gabriel that she would
carry inside her body and give birth to The Son of God.
She was engaged to Joseph at that age.
This was the same age that Sarah became Abraham’s wife. Sarah was so special that Abraham chose her
above all women to be his wife. Mary was
so special that God chose her above all women to bring his only begotten Son into the world.
Both of
these godly women possessed three special traits. We have discussed them regarding Sarah, but
they are also true in the case of Mary.
What are these special traits? They are three simple things that anyone can
do: (1) Baking bread (2) Keeping Sabbath (3) Bringing The Divine Presence of God into every room you enter.
Let’s look a bit at the combination
of these three simple things that made Sarah so special:
She baked
bread. It wasn’t just any bread; it was Challah. Sarai understood
that she could invite God into her home through her actions. As she baked
her bread she prayed for God to bless her every action in her home while she
worked to make it a special and hospitable place. She prayed for God’s
closeness as she worked for her family’s blessings. When she made bread,
she prayed for God to bless the bread as well as those who would come to eat
it. The Midrash talks of Sarai’s bread saying that when she baked it just
before Sabbath, it always remained fresh and good for the next seven
days.
Abraham had many followers in the land of Ur. They often ate in his home. When they journeyed on to other places Abraham and Sarah were known for their love of other people and their hospitality. Abram loved the way their guest enjoyed the blessings of Sarai’s Challah. It is said that because she prayed for God’s blessings as she baked, even though she always baked the same amount of bread, it never ran out even when Abram brought in many unexpected guests. Sarah’s bread was always there for them, and it was always delicious. No one would ever experience hunger as long as Sarah was baking bread.
It was through the serving of the bread to their guest that Sarah and Abraham began to establish the first monotheistic religion of mankind. The bread became an instrument blessed by God to nourish people’s bodies as Abraham spoke to them of the Word of God which nourished their souls. Sarah taught the women about The One True God as Abraham taught the men. Their gatherings always centered around the table which always contained bread. This one little attribute of Sarah’s personality brought constant harmony and team work into their home. Baking the bread was Sarah's way of coming along side Abraham and contributing to his ministry. Abraham was very thankful for the bread that Sarah so joyfully provided. The bread was a part of the gift of hospitality that Sarah exhibited to everyone who came to the door of her tent. She made people feel welcomed and loved. Is it any wonder that great miracles abounded in the midst of all of this? A cloud was always stationed over Sarah's tent and her dough never ceased to rise. When Sarah died, the cloud disappeared for a while, until her son, Isaac, married Rebekkah and brought her into his mother's tent.
Okay,
so what do all these things mean when we think of Mary? They are even greater and even more
wonderful! While Sarah baked special
bread and served it to all of Abraham’s guest, Mary brought The True Bread, the
Bread of Heaven into the world through the power of God. Jesus Christ is The Bread From Heaven from
which we feed our souls. Without this
bread there is no hope for mankind. Mary
willingly gave her life for this purpose to bring about God’s will for the
world. Sarah’s bread baking was such a
shadow of the hospitality of the love of Christ.
In her journey as a
young girl engaged to Joseph Mary carried The Bread From Heaven everywhere she
went. Realizing this, she must have,
like Sarah, understood that she
could invite God into her home through her actions. She had invited God to let The Savior of the
World live in her womb, and she invited God into every place that he stationed
her in the process of giving birth. As
she waited for the blessed child, much like Sarah awaiting the birth of Isaac, she
must have prayed for God to bless her every action in her home. As she
worked to make their home a special and hospitable place she must have prayed
for God’s closeness and His blessings on her new family. In the midst of this strange and unexpected
pregnancy, she must have prayed for God to bless the child in her womb as well
as all of those who would come to know Him.
God has so graciously answered these prayers of a young woman’s heart.
The Midrash talks of Sarah’s
bread saying that when she baked it just before Sabbath, it always remained
fresh and good for the next seven days. The Bread from Heaven that
Mary brought forth has multiplied into millions and millions of servings for
all the inhabitants of the earth. All
who eat The Bread from Heaven will never be hungry; they will be FILLED with
the blessings of Christ and they will be satisfied.
Baking bread was one thing that Mary
and Sarah had in common, the lesser being just a shadow of the greater. The other thing is that both women kept
Sabbath. Keeping Sabbath is probably the
greatest thing a person can do to invoke God’s will and ways into their daily
lives. When the Sabbath came, both Mary
and Sarah were known to light the Sabbath candles and invite God to fill their
homes with His awesome presence. They
were happy to put aside daily tasks and bask only in the gift of the Presence
of God for a full 24 hours each week.
They were careful to prepare for this and they never missed this or let
the world pull them away from it. Both
Sarah and Mary knew the secret of true worship, or putting God first and honoring
Him above all things.
If every woman in America would
truly start to keep Sabbath in her home, the world would change forever. It is a lost art in homes today. Yes,
people attend
Church; but do they truly keep
Sabbath? The two are not the same. Mary and Sarah knew that keeping Sabbath in
their homes was the secret to keeping The One True God in their lives and in
their family’s lives. Sabbath was never a chore to either of these two
excellent examples of womanhood. They
considered keeping Sabbath with true worship of God their greatest joy.
From one Sabbath to the next these women lit the Sabbath candles and gave
light to those looking for their way through the darkness. This is another beautiful example of bringing
The Light Of The World, Jesus, The Messiah, into the world by our actions and
deeds. They were celebrating Chanukkah
continually once a week, as we should do today, but often neglect because of
the cares of the world and the voices that are not from God.
Bringing Christ into our homes and
celebrating Sabbath every seven days is all about resting with God. Rest was
abundant in the tents of Sarah. Rest was
abundant in the home of Mary. In her
rest she nurtured and provided a safe warm place for The Son of God to grow
into The Savior of The World. These
women knew about resting in The Lord. Six days were full of labor, but the
seventh day found Mary and Sarah and those of their home and their guest
resting and praising God for His blessings.
It is said that Sarah brought the presence of God into every room she entered. Mary carried God inside her womb. Every room she entered was blessed! We see this when John The Baptist leaped in Elizabeth’s womb as Mary entered the house pregnant with Christ. If you are a Christian you have Christ living inside of you! You are in so many ways just like Mary. You are carrying Him with you to every where you go and every thing you do. Are you conscience of the fact that you too are pregnant with Christ? Do you realize that the whole world is groaning right now with labor pains while we await His promised return?
These are the things about Sarah
that captured the heart of Abraham, and these are the things about Mary that
God loved when He considered making her the Mother of Christ. Even if none of the other qualities had
existed, this act of carrying God into the world, would have been
sufficient. This quality is in
fact the source and essence for the other two.
When Mary and Sarah entered a room
they brought the creativity of God with them. They brought the beauty of
holiness with them. They brought the wonder of God's creation with them.
They brought the wisdom of a Mighty God with them. They brought the
courage of faith. love, hope and joy.
Sarai brought laughter, which
later spilled over into the name of a very special son. It was said that
the laughter of Sarah could change the world.
Mary brought pure and complete love and devotion to God, which spilled
over into the name of a very special Son,
Emmanuel; God with us! Mary in being willing to bear the Child of God has definitely brought change into the world!
Let us carry His Presence into this
Christmas with joy and adoration!
O come let us adore Him!
